India, Oct. 5 -- A government paediatrician in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district, Dr. Praveen Soni, has been arrested after 11 children died allegedly from consuming contaminated Coldrif cough syrup at his private clinic in Parasia.

The Madhya Pradesh government has also filed a case against Srisan Pharmaceuticals, the Tamil Nadu-based company that manufactured the syrup.

Lab tests revealed the syrup contained 48.6% diethylene glycol, a highly toxic chemical that can cause kidney failure.

Following the report, the sale of Coldrif and another syrup, Nextro-DS, was banned across Madhya Pradesh.

Families said the children initially showed mild cold and fever symptoms but later suffered decreased urine output and kidney infections befo...